Commuting - Why do people give up?

I had an interesting conversation at the supermarket last night. The cashier commented on my Avenir grocery pannier, and when I said it goes right on my bike, she told that she had tried biking to work one time, but didn't think it was for her. Seems that:

Her hair got messed up, despite wearing a hat;
She dropped and broke her cell phone;
She was riding a bike that was too small for her.

I tried to make a few encouraging(?) comments like "Yeah, you do need a bike that fits", and mentioned the local bike commuting club (http://bike.meetup.com/132/) I'm trying to start, but unfortunately I didn't have any of the cards with me (which proves I should always carry them), and she seemed like she had already given up. After I got outside, I realized too late that I hadn't even noted her name badge to get one to her later.

I'm sure she's not alone. What other discouraging experiences have you heard from people who have tried and given up? We here know that most of these can be overcome, but I'm interested in what the recurring themes might be.

Note that I'm not so much interested in reasons people have for not trying in the first place - we have all heard those excuses a million times already. I think it's more telling to know what difficulties have led people who have tried to not continue. (And yes, I've seen a few of the references here to newspaper articles where a reporter has tried it and written about it, usually negatively. But I'd like to hear more about the average person's experience, someone who's not necessarily reflecting on the experience and trying to summarize it all neatly the way the reporters always do.)

Bad weather, traffic accidents, lack of time, lack of energy, distances too great, inadequate equipment (and insufficient funds to purchase better stuff), not feeling safe on the road....

I've heard all of these mentioned before.

Here are some of the reason why I don't always commute, and wht I did to fix or at least try to fix it

Number One reason Time.

I get out of work at 11:30 have to be at school at 12.It takes me a hour to bike a half hour to drive.

It rains I got fenders

My bike broke I have 2 others to ride

the ride is long I got a brooks

It's easier to just use the car. :p

Most people follow "the path of least resistance". IOW, what chickbicyclist said... "car".

Well, it is easier. In most areas of the USA anyway.

"My legs hurt."

Here in Riga the thing I hear the most is that people don't feel safe. The drivers here are horrible. Latvia has one of the highest road death rates per capita in the world. It really is a battle everyday.

Biking == OMG teh sweat! For some reason sweat is a bad thing, hmmm.

I know a guy who tried once, crashed, and never tried again. Now he lives in an area where the only route to work is over a river on a major freeway, so he can't even legally ride a bike to work, even if he wanted to and even if the distance was reasonable.

Biking == OMG teh sweat! For some reason sweat is a bad thing, hmmm.

American Society

i hear the sweat excuse a lot. and that traffic is too heavy and agressive.

sweat? Oh jeez, and we wonder why we have this obesity rate.

One guy has ridden his mtb to work in the past. He pretty much says that it keeps him from being able to run certain errands during lunch break, which I can understand.

Sweat I can understand. I do get sweaty on my way to work when I ride but I have a shower to look forward to so it isn't an issue. Using a backpack doesn't help, and I probably could take it easier and use panniers and not sweat so much.

Biking == OMG teh sweat! For some reason sweat is a bad thing, hmmm.


I would by this but my coworkers who refuse to bike pay $50 a month to belong to the gym.

I wimp out a lot when it's dark in the morning, like this morning.
When I ride my bike back to work at lunch time does that still count as commuting?

My only excuse now is rain.

But then again, in time I will purchase the appropriate gear to be able to deal with light rain (i.e. not heavy sustained downpours w/thunder and lightning) A few months ago...I wouldn't even have considered doing this.

As for winter riding...thats going to take a little more time for me to "accept it". Yet...on a intellectual basis only...I can fathom it. :)

I would by this but my coworkers who refuse to bike pay $50 a month to belong to the gym.
Ah, but you see, that's an acceptable, even a trendy, way to sweat. You have to sweat there because you're paying for it! In America, ideas are legitimized mainly by being either offered as a service you have to pay for, or by being shown on television. :rolleyes:

Ah, but you see, that's an acceptable, even a trendy, way to sweat. You have to sweat there because you're paying for it! In America, ideas are legitimized mainly by being either offered as a service you have to pay for, or by being shown on television. :rolleyes:

just goes to show how everything in america can be packaged and marketed to people. even the idea of being healthy.

you can be perfectly healthy without ever stepping foot in a gym. but most people can't think of any other way to get in shape. so, they glady pay the monthly fees to workout at a gym. then they complain about how hard it is!

Fear is the most frequent objection I hear - usually followed by some tale of some horrific accident they recently heard about. Depending on my mood, I sometimes ask how many bikes were involved in the accident. My point being that yea, x people died in that wreck but they were all in cars - why does that wreck make you scared to ride a bike. Other times, I just agree with them and say yea.

OFF TOPIC - I hear the same objection to taking Marta - our local mass transit here. They tell me they would but they don't feel safe and proceed to tell me a story they heard about someone being mugged - usually in a parking lot or parking deck downtown and having nothing to do with Marta. I sometimes point out that perhaps they wouldn't have been mugged in the train station instead of the parking deck ...

Her hair got messed up, despite wearing a hat;
She dropped and broke her cell phone;
She was riding a bike that was too small for her.


1. Yeah, that will happen. This is what a comb/brush is for when you get to work.
2. Don't talk on your phone while cycling.
3. A wrong size bike is as uncomfortable as walking around in the wrong sized shoes.

I've heard some easily refuted excuses:
* There's no route to work w/o taking the highway. (I know where he lives, and there certainly is a route, but it's 2 miles longer... making the commute a whopping 9 miles each way.)
* It rains too much. (Fenders and rain gear.)
* A bike is too expensive. (But those two Starbucks coffee drinks a day aren't?)
* I heard it's really not that safe. (You live in Redmond, WA... It's not like it's Detroit or Atlanta.)
* I don't have the time to bike to/from work. (But I hear you telling coworkers about the 2 movies a night you get from the video store.)

Some excuses are valid (it's 40 miles one way) and others are just self-imposed mental challenges (I'll get sweaty). If people can motivate themselves to overcome the self-imposed mental roadblocks, then they'll do it and stick with it. It's up to them to make the leap.

There's tons of cyclists here in NYC judging by the number of roadies I see in the parks, but I doubt many of them bike commute. If they did, I'd see 3-4x the commuters than I do now.

just goes to show how everything in america can be packaged and marketed to people. even the idea of being healthy.

you can be perfectly healthy without ever stepping foot in a gym. but most people can't think of any other way to get in shape. so, they glady pay the monthly fees to workout at a gym. then they complain about how hard it is!
This is getting OT, but it's interesting. I think we have gotten into this mentality that we have to have experts to show us how to do things, instead of just trying it ourselves. And we assume it's easier to compartmentalize: work is work, play is play, and other things you just have to do whether you want to or not (staying healthy, keeping up your house) are off by themselves too. We find it easier to treat them separately, and we think that we should, because then we can give our full attention to each one. But we lose the efficiency of combining them that our forebears had back when they had to work physically harder just to live, and therefore stayed more physically fit even while eating a big breakfast of fried eggs and bacon every morning.

Another example of commodification of everyday living how we entertain ourselves. I'm struck by how much of our recreation involves consuming the products of someone else's career: Watching television and movies, following sports, playing video games, listening to music, buying lots of expensive stuff for our hobbies (even cycling). I worry that most of us have been sold the idea that we have to leave the creative or demanding activity to the "experts" and we just consume their product. In short, you're either a producer (at work) or a consumer (everywhere else).

On the other hand, in almost any activity you are partaking of someone else's work. And that's a good thing, because it's how things improve. Our bikes are the product of years of innovation. As are musical instruments. And reading a book, though a great alternative to watching TV, is still the result of hours of some author's career as well as a publisher's time and effort. I guess the difference is what the consumer brings to it as well, which in the case of TV and video games, is not very much.

* cost of winter biking
* wet shoes
* SMELL
* painful seat ... after trying several
* pain even after bike fit
* General surprise that shops won't take back equiipment that doesn't work
* cars and intimidating traffic
* too slow

I literally watched my neighbor get in his car, and ride around the corner to work!!!! less than half a block!!!!
I just shook my head

Some excuses are valid (it's 40 miles one way) and others are just self-imposed mental challenges (I'll get sweaty).

Actually, all excuses are valid for the person making them if they don't really want to ride. As someone else wrote, it's about taking the path of least resistance. Personally, I find biking to work (except on Monday when I rest my legs) more fun, much less expensive and compared to public transit, faster. This year, I intend to bike straight through the winter. The challenge appeals to me. Some crave only comfort. Living half a life is their right.

Here in NYC, a small, flat city which should be great to bike in and terrible to drive in, the no. 1 reason stated is theft.

It's hard for first-time city riders to get their heads around the idea that someone will steal the bike in broad daylight, or a wheel, or the seat. Not even a beater is immune to this.

Here in NYC, a small, flat city which should be great to bike in and terrible to drive in, the no. 1 reason stated is theft.

It's hard for first-time city riders to get their heads around the idea that someone will steal the bike in broad daylight, or a wheel, or the seat. Not even a beater is immune to this.

yep - i kinda forgot to mention that, but you're absolutely correct. everything is at risk of getting stolen if it's on the street for more than a minute.

Hills. Everyone around here mentions the hills. I tell them that they'll get used to it, that's what gears are for, etc. Then they try a different excuse..... ad infinitum.

It's not about which excuse. It's about excuses.

Im in upstate Ny and commuting here usually means riding from one town /city to the next , I wish I worked across town but I dont.

I think the average commute distance in these parts is 14 miles with the # getting larger as folks build way out on the fringes.

MY personal commute is either 19 miles (5 mile road, 14miles paved trail) or 13.5 miles major 4 lane county route no shoulder.

most of the people I work with live 15 + (mostly +) miles from here and most have children to shuffle as well, also we are right at the bottom of a river valley which means all routes home are nothing but hills in most any direction.

my # 1 reason for not commuting more is the time/distance factor MOSTLY going home.

often enough I have places to be or stops to make after work that dont meet the Cycling time window or my other half doesnt want to wait untill 6:30 +- for me to get home when I bike, not to mention clean up time if we have things to do ..., esp when I can arrive at 5:15 +- and all ready to go if I drive.

its a pain, but some good news (depending on the time window) the Busses on all major routes that I can take home now as of this year have bike racks , this will at least help on days where I can be home around 5:45- 6 but no need to get cleaned up....

"John"

1. Riding in traffic is intimidating for most people. My wife gets freaked around here and we live in one of the best bicycling towns in America. I admit that when I first started commuting in Boston, I was lucky to survive the first few months before I learned a few things (mostly from reading rec.bicycles and watching other commuters). If riding in traffic doesn't get on your nerves and you can deal with some driver hostility then you keep going, otherwise it is as stressful as driving.

2. Most people buy the wrong bicycle. Either they don't fit (most common) or they are ill-suited for riding on the road. A lot of people buy a mountain bike for the first bike and then wonder why it feels like a truck on the road. The rest buy hybrid (now called comfort) bikes which may or may not fit them. Kind of hard to tell with these bikes because you 'sit' more on them and that already seems like the 'wrong' position to me. So after riding these things and realizing they bought the wrong bike they give up (especially after being told they will probably have to buy an even more expensive bike).

3. Can't wear your 'normal' clothes on the bike. Or if you do then they can get ruined. This is actually my excuse when I don't ride in. If I have to dress up for that day then there is no way I am putting my fancy dress shoes in my toeclips and risking chain grease on my dress pants. I could pack it all in my panniers but the sheer amount of hassle that takes is a major setback.

Not everyone wants to buy another wardrobe of lycra, wool, polypro, etc just to ride and you just get tired of looking like you just went for a bike ride everyday. Sometimes you just want to look nicely dressed.

I've commuted off and on over the last twenty years -sometimes with religious zeal (like when I went car-free for a year in Boston) and sometimes going whole years without riding in (like the first years I bought my motorcycle). When I drove in it was a lot easier to run errands and otherwise get home in a flash. I didn't have to plan what to wear or worry about the weather so much. It was nice to exercise more of my wardrobe so I could wear a nice sweater or a shirt instead of my usual t-shirt and rainpants. If it got dark it was no big deal.

All that being said about convenience, I still giggle like a little girl when I pass whole lines of cars at rush hour on a beautiful sunny day.

This is getting OT, but it's interesting. I think we have gotten into this mentality that we have to have experts to show us how to do things, instead of just trying it ourselves. And we assume it's easier to compartmentalize: work is work, play is play, and other things you just have to do whether you want to or not (staying healthy, keeping up your house) are off by themselves too. We find it easier to treat them separately, and we think that we should, because then we can give our full attention to each one. But we lose the efficiency of combining them that our forebears had back when they had to work physically harder just to live, and therefore stayed more physically fit even while eating a big breakfast of fried eggs and bacon every morning.

Another example of commodification of everyday living how we entertain ourselves. I'm struck by how much of our recreation involves consuming the products of someone else's career: Watching television and movies, following sports, playing video games, listening to music, buying lots of expensive stuff for our hobbies (even cycling). I worry that most of us have been sold the idea that we have to leave the creative or demanding activity to the "experts" and we just consume their product. In short, you're either a producer (at work) or a consumer (everywhere else).

On the other hand, in almost any activity you are partaking of someone else's work. And that's a good thing, because it's how things improve. Our bikes are the product of years of innovation. As are musical instruments. And reading a book, though a great alternative to watching TV, is still the result of hours of some author's career as well as a publisher's time and effort. I guess the difference is what the consumer brings to it as well, which in the case of TV and video games, is not very much.

Thanks, John. Many good points here--probably the most thoughtful post of the month on BF. :)

I watched a "reality" TV show that had people racing around the world on bicycles and other "unconventional" transports. People watch this show for a sense of adventure, not realizing that they could have "real" adventures in their own lives, with a minimal amount of effort. One of the cardinal American virtues of previous generations was what Emerson called "self-reliance." Is this virtue dead in contemporary life?

To answer my own question: no, self-reliance is not quite dead. You do see evidence of its continued existence on this forum, and in a few other places. But don't some of your acquaintances think you're "crazy," simply because you do try to be self-reliant? And don't they find you "eccentric" because you seek adventure every day in your real life, rather than on a TV show or video game?

My excuses are as follows:

- Rain
- Dark
- Distance (8 miles one-way, hills, in terrible shape - I know ... that will change if I start up again)
- My main reason is fit. My bike is too small and it has discouraged me from riding as it's not comfy

I'm looking at selling my bike and getting a bike that fits better. I think once I'm more comfortable then I will be more willing and interested in commuting.

Not mentioned yet, or perhaps it is an amalgam all of those mentioned, fear of failure/ lack of envy. People are so sure of the reasons why cycle commuting won't work out, they feel they do not need to try, the answer is obvious. They are afraid of trying something and failing so the behavior is a defense mechanism. Look how many garages have expensive bikes hanging around unused. Look at all of the unused bikes on CL. People hate to have that constant reminder around of how they "failed". Better to get rid of it than give it another shot. I think this is common in America where it seems that there is a great deal of shame associated with not "suceeding" at something at the very highest level. i.e. You must be cycling and training for something big, racing/triatholon etc.

Also cycling or most Americans is not an activity, nor are the products associated with it products which tend to create envy in others. For many people that I encounter the idea of being happy, healthy and responsible has no/little value unless someone else wants what you have. So if health and cyling became status icons, there would be an upswing in commuters;)

The irony (to me ) is that I can think of very few activites exrcise wise that are as forgiving as cycling.:D

Low impact, burns a lot of calories and is exteremly flexible to all age and fitness levels. I know that if I miss a week due health or work, it is easy to start again the following week. I may have to go a bit slower if I am not feeling up to it but I know all is not lost and then feel like I failed and quit.

Thanks, John. Many good points here--probably the most thoughtful post of the month on BF. :)

I watched a "reality" TV show that had people racing around the world on bicycles and other "unconventional" transports. People watch this show for a sense of adventure, not realizing that they could have "real" adventures in their own lives, with a minimal amount of effort. One of the cardinal American virtues of previous generations was what Emerson called "self-reliance." Is this virtue dead in contemporary life?

To answer my own question: no, self-reliance is not quite dead. You do see evidence of its continued existence on this forum, and in a few other places. But don't some of your acquaintances think you're "crazy," simply because you do try to be self-reliant? And don't they find you "eccentric" because you seek adventure every day in your real life, rather than on a TV show or video game?

How about reasons people give up using cars? Mine is basically the above. Namely, I've been totally screwed over by more than one car mechanic and it's occurred to me that I can't do anything about it since there's only so many things I know to call bullsh1t on. I can fix almost any bike problem myself and can make improvements myself too. With modern cars, you simply can't and you have to rely on a mechanic. To me, that's the biggest reason.

Look how many garages have expensive bikes hanging around unused.
PM me if you happen to know any of these people willing to let there self-esteem lowering expensive bikes go for cheap. I'll even go there to help increase their garage space and their self esteem...for FREE! :D

Where I work now, I've never heard anyone give an excuse for not riding; several do ride reasonable regular like. At my old job, most everyone lived ten miles or more away... me too. Every now and then, one person or another would try it... for a single day. It would physically beat them up; most of them couldn't or wouldn't ride back. Guess they saw me doing it every day and figured it would be easy. It was, if you did it every day... sorta a conumdrum kinda thingee.

You can't get a comb thru my nappy hair. I just use a headband. It's always a mess anyhoo.

Maybe my friends aren't telling me something, but a friend and I sweat like pigs on the way to work; if you just cool down a bit, then change once you're dry, it's no problem at all. Shower before you ride, and you should be fine. This is assuming you work in an air-conditioned room and can change somewhere.



Sweat I can understand. I do get sweaty on my way to work when I ride but I have a shower to look forward to so it isn't an issue. Using a backpack doesn't help, and I probably could take it easier and use panniers and not sweat so much.

My excuses are as follows:

- Rain
- Dark
- Distance (8 miles one-way, hills, in terrible shape - I know ... that will change if I start up again)
- My main reason is fit. My bike is too small and it has discouraged me from riding as it's not comfy

I'm looking at selling my bike and getting a bike that fits better. I think once I'm more comfortable then I will be more willing and interested in commuting.

If I were a betting man, I'd put money on it that you'll ride more often if you have a bike that fits properly. The first two reason you've given are easily overcome:
Rain -- get rain gear
Dark -- get lights
The distance won't seem so much on a bike that fits properly, and after a little while of riding you'll be in better shape. My commute is 7.5 each way, and this morning's ride was in the dark and fog. Last week I was riding in the dark and rain. You get used to it, and after a while just take what the day throws at you.

He pretty much says that it keeps him from being able to run certain errands during lunch break, which I can understand.

For me, though, that's a reason in favor of biking. I've saved a lot of money and space by "making do" with what's around the house rather than taking a bike trip to buy XYZ at a store. And it keeps me from buying too much when I do go out. If it doesn't fit on my bike, I can't buy it. Yee haw.

If it doesn't fit on my bike, I can't buy it. Yee haw.
There was a pic last week of someone with a canoe/kayak trailer for their bike, so I could even justify a new kayak next spring with the "I can haul it with my bike" line. :D

PM me if you happen to know any of these people willing to let there self-esteem lowering expensive bikes go for cheap. I'll even go there to help increase their garage space and their self esteem...for FREE! :D

I am currently doing this. With the profits I am building my winter ride!:D I also feel I am doing a public service by not making these folks not feel so bad about themselves!:p

I think dark & cold for a lot of commuters. True, you can overcome darkness with a $300 HID system, but that's usually enough to stop most non-hardcore bike commuters (like me in the winter). I do applaud all who brave to dark, sleet, and snow, but I think most people who enjoy bike commuting in nice weather don't get the same enjoyment when they can't see where they're going and are afraid they're going to get hit unless they shell out $200+ for a quality HID, and then $200 more for adequate safety lights and clothing. I would definitely feel otherwise if the US were a more "bike-friendly" country, with more bike lanes and more drivers educated about sharing the road with bikes, but for me at least, braving the road in the dark and cold in a high-traffic urban environment adds yet two more significant danger factors that I can't overcome no matter how well my intentions and how strong a biker I am.

Her hair got messed up, despite wearing a hat

I've got to weigh in on the frivolous female excuse here. It is true that bike commuting isn't easy if you're obsessed with the latest hairstyle, and thus need a myriad of expensive styling products and techniques to keep it up. Sweat and helmets (or hats) don't mix well with that kind of hair styling regime. The women I've seen who bike commute daily either have short, guy-style cuts or they wear their hair all one length, which tends to be easier to deal with than long layers. It's either short enough not to interfere with the helmet or long enough to be able to pull back into a tail or braid. As for myself, I think my long hair is versatile enough that I'm never bored with it and it's easy to care for. I don't have to put a ton of overpriced crap in it or learn a bunch of bizarre techniques to make it look a certain way. Plus, I haven't paid for a hair cut in 10 years. :D

legitimized mainly by being either offered as a service you have to pay for . . .

so if employers announced a new policy/service/benefit-thingy whereby they'd deduct x dollars from everyone's paycheque at source for every day they bike-commuted to work, the racks would be packed? :D


We find it easier to treat them separately, and we think that we should, because then we can give our full attention to each one.

this is interesting. it reflects a very different mental-wiring system from mine. i sometimes answer the perpetual 'why?' question with 'cause i'm not organised enough for a gym.' it's a good bit more than half true. for me, biking to work is the path of least resistance; there's just no way i could deal with the additional scheduling and transition-wrangling of the structured, compartmentalised lives i see going on around me. and once i'm home, dammit, i want to stay home. if i weren't biking to work, i'd have to come home just in order to go out again.

anyway, i might actually argue the opposite of your suggestion. i don't see many gyms that don't have a tv set in them; people who work out almost always work out AND watch tv. or read the paper on the treadmill, or whatever. they even schedule their social time so it overlaps and they can kill two birds, etc. it seems to me like some people are so resistant to bike commuting because it's one of the few things left where you CAN'T multi-task. therefore, for those people with very high noise/input tolerances, it's 'wasted time' and 'inefficient'. :D for me, that's a huge plus. but i'm kind of a stranger to the bell-curve.

in answer to your initial question, i've heard specific reasons from two people in the past couple of months: a much older man who used to do it regularly but got bumped by a car. if you have valid reasons to fear you might not recover well from an injury, that's a pretty solid concern. i showed him my hhcmf jacket and he was very interested in its safety possibilities. the other was my original role-model/mentor. she stopped riding because a blood clot made her blind in one eye. when i encountered her after several years and learned about it, she was on a bike!

I quit a few years ago for a few reasons at once:
-- Coke chucked at my head on a busy road
-- Too much time spent on a hard seat
-- After a while, I wanted back the hour I spent in traffic (12 miles, lots of red lights.)

I've returned and loved it. A close call or any beverage flingings could change my mind again. The one-way is much less than 12 miles, so that's not a problem, and I have a great big padded seat for my big padded seat.

I keep telling mywife, sweat is good. Good for you.

I would by this but my coworkers who refuse to bike pay $50 a month to belong to the gym.I've noticed that the local Sears store has riding lawn mowers right next to the tread mills. No one seams to get the irony.

I also save a ton of money due to not running lunch errands. I've realized that I used to go down to the gadget stores at lunch and spend sometimes $100 just because I was bored. I don't do that anymore. And I've also realized that it's FAR more efficient shopping online. $10 shipping is nothing compared to the hour of my time and the gallon+ of gas I would have spent driving to the store and back, and I'll probably save more than that buying online anyway.

I was pretty perplexed to realize that some people think that sweat is gross. I think it's because these people are only familiar with the stinky sticky oily sweat they get from hot weather, not the heavier, less stinky sweat from exercising. Or maybe not, I don't understand it.

My main reasons for wimping out:

1) lack of sleep the night before/general fatigue (I have a physical job with long, long hours)
2) heavy rain (light rain however is really sweet to ride in)
3) cold